The by-products of vegetable oil extraction, oilseed meals, which contain high levels of protein, are becoming attractive raw materials for the sustainable production of bioactive antioxidant peptides. They are becoming known for their ability to neutralize free radicals, chelate pro-oxidant metals, and interfere with lipid peroxidation mechanisms, supporting both food preservation and human health applications. This review presents a combined view of the nutritional and structural foundations of proteins in oilseed meal, the molecular determinants that affect peptide antioxidant activity (molecular weight, hydrophobicity, and aromatic or metal-binding residues), and the mechanisms underlying radical-scavenging and chain-breaking antioxidant activity. Various processing strategies for generating antioxidant peptides from oilseed meals are discussed, including fermentation-based methods, structure-modifying pretreatments, membrane-based separations, and emerging green bioprocessing technologies. Structure-opening pre-treatments such as ultrasound, microwave, and high hydrostatic pressure are highlighted for their ability to enhance hydrolysis efficiency. In addition, green technologies, including subcritical water hydrolysis (SCW), natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), and the pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments, are discussed as innovative approaches to improve protein accessibility and peptide release. The generated peptides are further purified and characterized using chromatographic techniques and LC-MS/MS-based proteomic analysis. Unlike previous reviews that broadly discuss plant protein hydrolysates, this review specifically emphasizes oilseed meal valorization pathways, peptide structure-function relationships, and emerging green processing technologies within a circular bioeconomy framework. Overall, valorizing oilseed meals into antioxidant peptides represents a promising strategy for developing clean-label functional ingredients aligned with the principles of the circular bioeconomy.
Rafiq et al. (Wed,) studied this question.